Can share an entire folder with anyone; use the URL provided by Google
Can share files publicly so that people who are not signed into Google can view them
Viewers do not need Google accounts to view a folder you've shared on the WEB
In edit mode, click, "Share" > "Anyone with this link can view"
Can choose to allow others to be: viewer, commenter, or editor
Click, "Copy Link" to share the link to the entire folder
Copy and paste a link in an email, on a webpage or blog, on a class website, in Google Classroom, etc.

Once a Drive folder is shared publicly:

Files within that folder will be visible to anyone on the WEB
You can also limit visibility to ONLY those people in your school or organization
Parents/guardians can access folders when you want to make assignments, handouts, permission slips, etc. available for them to see/download/print.
If you do not use Google Classroom, you can also push assignments and handouts out to students.
You can stop publishing at any time

There are different ways to use folders in DRIVE:

Teacher, administrator, and staff uses:

Sort unit materials
Sort materials you use year after year; reference last year's materials while creating new ones for this year; just change the dates and any info that needs updating
Sort your personal work for committees, monthly reports, organizational forms for things such as personal days, substitutes, etc.
Sort assessments, rosters, attendance, school policies, etc.

Folders are a great way to sort your students' work as they hand assignments in, especially if you do not use Google Classroom:

Create folders, by period, to hold student work
As students submit their assignments, they automatically appear in that student's folder, in the correct period
Have students create folders in the beginning of the year and share their assignment folder with you.
As students put Docs into those folders, they automatically appear in your Google DRIVE account

Folders in Google Classroom:

Google Classroom automatically creates folders for each assignment
When you push Doc assignments out to each student individually, a Google Doc is created for each student; his/her name is appended to the Doc
As students submit their work, their Docs are automatically added to the Classroom folder for that assignment
Work flow between teacher and students is much easier when using Classroom

Student Uses:

Create folders to sort their own assignments, research, notes, etc. in their DRIVE to reference as they do assignments
Create folders to keep images they've collected, Google Drawings they've done, and any other files or resources they wish to use for reference
If not using Google Classroom, students can create folders for each class and share those folders with specific teachers. As they drop assignments into those folders, the assignments "automatically" show up in the various teachers' assignment folders for their classes.
If using Google Classroom, students can also find assignments, organized by folder, inside their "Classroom Folder" in Google Drive. They can ope those folders and access the Docs they've submitted to their teachers

Sample DRIVE Page

Sample Drive Page

Folders are listed above files
Scroll down to see files
Folders can be colored to help organize them
Use alphanumeric to force certain folders to the top (numbers plus alphabetical; place numbers in front of folders)
Note the "Classroom Folder" in the left sidebar. It shows the different assignment folders inside.

Apps Connected To Your DRIVE Page

You can download apps from Google Workspace Marketplace
You admin may have already downloaded apps for the entire district so that both the entire staff and students may use them.
When you go to the Marketplace to find apps, you can see if they work with DRIVE. It will be noted for you.
Other apps are specific to Gmail, Calendar, Sheets, Slides, etc.
Some are specific for computers, Android, iPhone, iPad, Chromebooks, etc.

Personal Workspace and Priority as Your Homepage

Personal Workspaces And Priority

Workspaces:

You can create "Workspaces" in your DRIVE to make it easier to find content you use a lot, or is important.
Workspaces can be named, and files you wish to include in them will automatically appear on your DRIVE page.
They appear as shortcuts to the files; their names are listed
They are placed under the "Priority" label in the left sidebar

Priority:

If you wish, you can choose to have "Priority" be your DRIVE homepage
Notice the word, "Priority" in the top left of the image to the left. It appears above the words, "My Drive."
To use this feature, go to your DRIVE Settings
Under "Suggestions," Choose the following:
- Show suggested files in My Drive
- Make Priority my default homepage

Using Shortcuts In Google Drive

Shortcuts have been added to Google Drive to make navigating and finding files easier

This change took place in 2022
If files are in more than one folder, they have been replaced by shortcuts
Your access to those files (or folders) has not changed
Shortcuts are "pointers" to the original file/folder
Shortcuts can be renamed, moved, or deleted WITHOUT changing the original file or folder
This helps you organize your Google Drive the best way it works for you
And, you can use shortcuts on "shared" files and move the shortcuts around your Drive without affecting the shared file.
Shortcuts help eliminate the confusion about how files/folders are owned, managed, and updated. Shortcuts do not affect the ownership of a file, and co-editors will be less likely to make the mistake of deleting a shared file/folder.
Shortcuts can be in multiple locations
Prior to this change, you could have files/folders in multiple locations in your Drive
The shortcuts have replaced all but one location of files/folders that were in multiple locations within a person's Drive
If you are the owner of a file, you can move the original file/folder, if you wish

More Information (taken from Google Help):

Find files & folders with Google Drive shortcuts
Shortcuts make it easier for you or team members to find and organize files and folders in multiple Google Drives.

A shortcut is a link that references another file or folder.
You can use shortcuts in your drive or a shared drive.
Shortcuts are visible to everyone with access to the folder or drive.
Shortcuts point back to the original file so you always have the latest info.
You can make up to 500 shortcuts per file or folder yourself. Each item can have up to 5,000 total shortcuts made by anyone.

Important:

Shortcut titles are visible to everyone with access to the folder or drive that the shortcuts are in.
Not everyone who can access the file or drive can open the shortcut.
The original file’s permissions don’t automatically update when you create a shortcut.
To get access to the file or folder, request permissions to the original file through the shortcut. The owner of the original file then gets an email with the request to give permissions.

Return To Homepage

Return To Drive & Docs Features

https://support.google.com/drive/answer/9700156?sjid=12128934697281156845-NA